Interview with Sébastien Bedu (Medaire, a subsidiary of International SOS)

Why did MedAire, a subsidiary of International SOS, become interested in digital health passports?

Sébastien Bedu - We are focusing on the added value we can bring to our 160 customers, be they airports or airlines. As well as testing and screening solutions, we are naturally interested in digital solutions for certifying PCR or antigen testsin association with SGS and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The aim is to make life easier for companies and give them full confidence in the origin of the tests and the type of laboratories that carried them out.

What are the operational benefits of your solution for airlines?

S. B. - Contacting travellers to remind them not to forget to bring a valid test with them, checking that people have the test when they arrive at the airport, deciphering paper certificates that are not always easy to read: all this is particularly time-consuming for airline staff, whose role is, above all, to ensure that planes leave on time. Our solution has made it possible to improve this operational workload with a robust system that is capable of handling a wide range of tasks.e streamline the entire process by scanning the AOKpass application at all the necessary stages. As well as addressing these operational issues - and this is very important to airlines - the solution significantly improves the travelling experience for their passengers.

In addition to these technological resources, is the medical expertise of International SOS the decisive advantage of your solution?

S. B. - This is the key point. It is important that the system, in addition to its blockchain-based technology, is based on a medical infrastructure. This is what International SOS with its 35 years of expertise and its network of over 80,000 medical providers. AOKpass is not a digital application that tries to adapt to the way the medical system works. On the contrary, it is a medical architecture on which an application is grafted. What is more important to airlines and air transport companies? Is it the blockchain technology that guarantees data protection or the medical structure on which the application is based? Market developments will tell.

Who do you think will be the big winner in the end?

S. B. - I'd like to have that answer, but it's hard for me to say that it won't be us. I'll give you my reading of things: if I were the manager or the employee of a company, I would prefer these medical issues to be dealt with by professionals. such as International SOS rather than by players who do not have this experience.

In practical terms, how far have we got with the roll-out of the AOKpass?

S. B. -  We are not talking about a concept, but about operational results, since we began the first tests with Etihad on 21 September and the solution is now in place on the Abu Dhabi-Paris route. We have signed a contract with Rome Airport and are in contact with a number of other airports, which is facilitating discussions with their national airlines. In France, we are in close contact with the entire air transport ecosystem, which should very soon result in a number of projects, in particular on routes between Paris and French overseas departments and territories. The airlines taking part in these pilot phases communicate directly with their passengers, particularly via their websites, to encourage them to try out this system, which simplifies their travel conditions. Eventually, when this solution is rolled out more widely, I imagine that a number of airlines will ask us to integrate our white-label solution into their own applications. There's nothing to stop us doing that.

Alongside the airlines, the national authorities are also involved in this development. What is their vision of these solutions?

S. B. - It is difficult to speak on their behalf. Especially as we can see that not everyone in Europe is in unison on this issue. Governments are all moving at different speeds, depending on their respective agendas and convictions. But I'll take a concrete example, that of the government of Singapore, which recognises the validity of the AOKpass for entry into its territory. We have broken down this barrier with a country which is not the least strict on these issues and which has recognised the value of the AOKpass by accepting it at its borders. This is very important for us.

Could a solution like yours eventually extend beyond the travel sector?

S. B. - Absolutely. The vaccination issues we'll be facing over the next few months will reveal the full extent of the problem. the added value of an application like AOKpass in the corporate world. Over the past 35 years, International SOS has built up strong relationships with customers who trust us with their medical needs. In this context, AOKpass can facilitate the mobility of both business travellers and company employees. For example, an employee visiting a factory abroad could use the application throughout his flight, but the scan of the application could also be used to access the company's buildings.